NOW CLOSED Eight Month Blog Giveaway: Clinique Black Honey Set NOW CLOSED

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

This month I was scratching my head as to what to give away. You know, my little blog does not make any money (yet). And I pay for things out of pocket. I very much believe in random acts of kindness. I try to do a little something everyday. But it is easy to forget. During the holiday month countdown, I do bigger things. Like leaving a small gift card in a book at the bookstore. Or buying coffee for the person behind me. I just won’t buy flowers for our house that week or skip eating out.

So, I have to keep my giveaways small. But I love doing them! It is my act of kindness to anyone who reads this blog. You are so kind to me when you stop in or comment. I sometimes can get into a funk. This blog has kept my head above water and just made me happy for eight months. Thank you!

During the recent Sephora sale, I picked up an item I wanted to do for a giveaway. There is a slight problem of it not having shipped to me yet. If for some reason, it does not ship, I will have to substitute the package for a $20 gift card instead. Please be aware that this might happen when entering. I will update this as soon as I know more. I am hoping it ships, because. (Update 11/11: It shipped!) it was such a steal for the items in it:

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It is the Clinique Black Honey package. It was a great deal and with the discount became even more so. The package comes with:

– 0.14 oz A Different Enamel in Black Honey
– 0.21 oz Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Black Honey
– 0.14 oz High Impact Mascara in Black Honey
– 0.06 oz Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

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Black honey is sometimes referred to as the “sisterhood” lipstick, because it looks good on everyone. Every skin tone. Every smile. It just works. And I love that! Plus, it has the word “honey” in it and this beekeeper’s daughter loved that, too.

To enter simply leave a comment telling me what made you smile this week. Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate on the good. So, let’s do that together.

I’ll share: my smile this week was coming home and finding that my husband had gone to the grocery store and picked me up all of the ingredients to cook chicken chili for myself and the kids before he had left for work. I didn’t have to go out. The kicker is, my husband doesn’t even like chicken chili. He was just being nice. Gosh, I love him.

You can also earn a second entry by following this blog. You can do so any old way on the right hand side of the page. Just make sure to leave a second comment stating you are following.

Limit two entries per person.

This giveaway runs from 12:00 a.m. PST on Sunday, November 10, 2013 to 9:00 p.m. PST Thursday, November 14, 2014.

I will use random.org to pick one winner. That winner will be contacted by the email address they entered with on November 15, 2014. Please use a valid email address when entering. The winner’s name will be posted on this blog on November 16, 2014. I will ship out package as soon as possible to the winner.

Okay. I think that is it for technicalities.

Thank you all so much! I appreciate your readership and your kindness! I hope your week makes you smile!

* This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with Sephora or Clinique.

* I will attempt to contact the winner three times. If I receive no response within two weeks, the winner will have forfeit the prize. A new winner will be drawn.

* Past winners are welcome to enter. : )

A Big Ol’ Rambling Post

Winner of the Giveaway, Wishlist Items, and some Updates!

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The Winner of the gift card is Jessie C.!

Congratulations! I hope you get some great decorations! Have fun shopping!

And thank you so much to everyone who entered! Wow! It almost doubled my previous months’ entries. It was so much fun to enter the names. Yes, I also like to make lists. So, this was my idea of a good time. ; )

Please tune in next month for a new giveaway. They are my very favorite part of this blog! Well, that and all of the great people I have met through this blog. I think about you guys when I am making dinner or grocery shopping. I wonder how you are doing and about certain aspects of your life that you have commented or wrote to me about. Thank you so much for including me!

I am so grateful.

Last month on my similar post, I listed a few pieces I thought I was going to purchase or like. But I ended up not purchasing any of them. Well, that is not true. I purchased the ostrich sweater from Modcloth, but I returned it the next day, because it was exceptionally small. This was great, because I purchased that black skirt with the hedgehog top instead from Anthropologie.

I have a few pieces I am watching. But take them with a grain of salt, because I am fickle. ; )

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Here are my obsessions this month:

Anthropologie pretty much has my whole heart this month with all four of my wishlist items and one item all ready purchased:

Anthropologie’s Peony Applique Pullover (now on sale)

Anthropologie’s Wonderland Silk Tunic. How great is this?

Bushytailed Pullover is my favorite. I think this looks adorable.

Corallina Ladder Necklace. Also on sale.

Creature Feature Tops from Anthropologie. I love this line. I own the rabbit and the hedgehog prints in this top. I wore the hedgehog twice this week. I highly recommend it. The rabbit is not as versatile, because you cannot tuck it in. It is cute with a blazer, though.

In pictures:

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Today (or yesterday when this post goes up), I had to take my daughter to the emergency room. She busted open her eyelid playing basketball during p.e. She had to have stitches. We ended up getting a “prescription” for her to be able to wear sunglasses at school. The trip was awful. Is it ever not? But we did spot this little guy in the eves of the building. It was going to get bright for the poor fellow. He did not choose his spot well.

I have a softness in my heart for bats. I just think they are the coolest. I was planning on putting up our Halloween decorations today, but due to spending the majority of the day in the hospital, plans changed. I figure this little guy will be my decor for now…in pictures, don’t worry, I did not take him home. ; )

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When my kids went away for the weekend (a little while back), I found myself alone in the house. It was so peaceful. I sat on the couch, read magazines, and caught up on some HGTV. I also worked on my DIY that is consuming all of my time. Can you guess what it is?

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Last night, I made a turkey breast dinner. I forgot to baste the turkey. My juices ended up burning. It was a citrus turkey, so we were not making gravy. Thank goodness. It had been a long day. I forgave myself. I made it with homemade biscuits and mashed potatoes. Kind of a celebration of autumn. And also because Albertson’s was doing buy one get one free, so I had to use one up. My freezer would not hold two!

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I found my black t-shirt! This is fantastic news. I refuse to have more than one. I had been out of a black t-shirt for months. I will show the bottom of the skirt in two weeks. It is part of a funny post I am working on. ; )

What has been going on with you guys? Any exciting news? Fun adventures? Wishlist items for the new season? Please share!

Seventh Month Blog Giveaway: $25 World Market Gift Card! NOW CLOSED!

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Sorry, this giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

Okay, let’s celebrate this month with a gift card to World Market. I am giving one away!

I have found myself shopping there more and more recently. I had to replace our kitchen cushions and I was able to find some there for less than $8 a piece. I was thrilled!

I am so grateful to everyone who stops by my blog and reads it or comments. Truly, my heart is full. I have met the sweetest, kindest people through this blog. I never imagined I would make so many new friends. It is so awesome!

On to the giveaway:

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To enter to win the $25 World Market Gift Card, please leave a comment. You can just tell me what you will use it for or just how your day is going.

For a second entry, please follow this blog in any old way. There are numerous ways to do so on the right hand side of this page. If you do or you are all ready a follower, please leave a second comment stating you are a follower.

I count all of the comments at the end. Your comments are your entries. Please do not forget to leave two if you are a follower.

This giveaway will run from October 11, 2013 12:00 a.m. PST to Monday, October 14, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. PST. All entries must be in by the close of the giveaway. I will be choosing one winner for the gift card using Random.org. If you have all ready won a gift in previous months, you are still eligible to enter this giveaway.

I will contact the winner on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. I will post the winner’s name on this blog on October 16, 2013. Upon entry to this giveaway, you are agreeing to these terms. Please enter with a valid email address. I will attempt to contact you three times within ten days. If I do not hear from you after that time, a new winner will be chosen.

Thank you everyone for getting me this far! Keeping this blog filled with my thoughts has lifted my spirits in so many ways. Thank you for being so supportive. I appreciate it beyond words! You guys are the best!

* This giveaway is sponsored by me and is not affiliated in any way with World Market.

The Winners Are… Plus My Picks Of The Month

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Thank you so much to everyone who entered my recent giveaway. The winners of one necklace each are: Alissa and Stephen Liddell!

Congratulations! I will ship them out tomorrow! Enjoy!

I had so much fun with this giveaway. Who am I kidding? I am just having fun, period.

I also want to say, “Thank you!” to my sweet mom who has been so supportive through this whole experience. She diligently reads everyday. It has been a really hard year for her and I feel so lucky to have her in my life. I also feel awful for not mentioning her in my “Reflections” post. Sorry Mom! I love you!

This is also the time of the month where I like to take a moment to reflect on things that are interesting to me or that I am currently lusting after. And I mean lusting, because I am being very good and not buying anything (else) this month.

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Photo courtesy of Casey from Veggies and Glitter. : )

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1. First, Casey from the blog Veggies and Glitter nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. She is such a sweetie. Her blog is really interesting. Reading her blog feels like hanging out with a great friend! She talks about fashion and life. Her recent date night post was sweet and the pictures of the food are enticing! I wish I lived closer to her, because that restaurant looked amazing. Yum! Fortune cookie martini? Yes please!

I wanted to give her a big, “thank you,” for the nomination. I am so lame, in that I will not be forwarding it on. However, I am very honored she thought of me.

“Thank you, Casey!”

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2. I bought these refrigerated noodles. And now I cannot wait to create or try a homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? ; ). Stay tuned in the coming month for the outcome of this!

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3. The New Target Threshold Line (pillows) looks interesting. I am loving the woodsy wonderland theme stores seem to have going on right now.

The cutest squirrel toss pillow for fall

These Cableknit Pillows in Gold Rush

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4. I wrote about these Dr. Scholls shoes that you keep in your purse last month (in case your feet hurt). They were very inexpensive. I wanted to do an update. I have tried them on. I am a true size 8. These are 7/8. They are a bit snug, but definitely doable. They seem super comfy. You could not use these for “regular” shoes, but they are wonderful for high-heel-aching-feet emergencies. I have a wedding to attend Sunday evening and I plan to utilize the heck out of these little babies!

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5. My top five fashion picks this month (I own the first two. I have not tried on the last three. I just think they are cool).

Anthropologie’s Sketchbook Dress.

Anthropologie’s Toadstool Shirt

Modcloth’s Pop In Stand Out Sweater

Modcloth’s Wizard of Ostrich Sweater. I will probably be getting this for my winter wardrobe. I have very few sweaters.

Free People’s Mod Stripe Tunic in red. This will more than likely be an October purchase.

* If you want to see more cool Fall picks, check out Roxy’s Free People Wishlist on Effortless Anthropologie. She has great taste!

What are you wanting this month? Are you being patient or indulging? Please tell!